The Real Baja

The Myths about Beer

Ahh… the famous "beer belly’s"

sandiegored services

by Jorge Guevara

July 9 2013

Text Size

I do not know anyone who has ever had a beer and has not said any of the following myths. So, being a fan of beer myself, I wanted to find out of how much truth is in what everyone says. For this, I gave myself the task of asking different breweries and experts from Tijuana and San Diego.

These are the results.

Dark beer has more alcohol than the light colored beer

No, it has nothing to do with color. The amount of alcohol depends on the process of the beer and what it’s made with. Virtually all manufacturers include such information somewhere in the can or label.

Bottled beer tastes better than canned

This is important because it is one of those eternal discussions on a Saturday night. But here is the irrefutable truth. Nothing keeps beer as fresh as a can. And here is why. There are two important factors when storing beer: oxygen and light. Bottles over time let in oxygen below the cap, and the light that passes through a glass bottle alters its flavor.

Beer is always served cold

This is the myth of choice for many, especially for people who do advertising campaigns, who many already refer to beer as a “cold one” because beer should be served as cold as possible, where the image of a bottle sweating looks to be the remedy for a hot summer day. This is a lie; the truth is that it all depends on what kind of type of beer it is. The reason of why so many brewers insist with this type of mentality is that so you can drink more. How? Well, it’s simple, something really cold numbs the tongue and taste buds, therefore consumption is much greater, and in some cases, low temperature can take away some of the beer flavor.

Beer makes you fat

Ahh… the famous "beer belly’s".

This was somewhat difficult to find an answer to, as I know many people who drink beer like there's no tomorrow and are still very fit. Sadly, that's not my case. According to experts, the high calorie content in beer contributes to protruding stomachs just like the excessive amount of calories from any other food. In summary, drinking beer or eating 10 burgers in a week has the same effect. Too much of anything is not good for you and unfortunately that also includes beer.

Wine is healthier than beer

When people talk of the health component of wine, they are mainly talking about a polyphenol called resveratrol. Comparing the polyphenols of beer and wine, each are almost equally good. Thus, neither beer nor wine is healthier from one or the other. It mainly depends on the amount of consumption. In fact, some experts advise on having a beer or a glass of wine a day, because not only does it help with circulation, but they are very good antioxidants as well.

If you know of any other myths, please let us know in the comments section or comment on our Facebook page.